I’ve been following Cult of the Lamb for a while now because from what I’ve seen and played I’m sure this will be one of the better games of the year and maybe the top indie game 2022 can offer. However, these are all opinions without actually accessing the full game. So, now that we’re at the launch stage, how do these views hold up? Well, let me get this straight: it’s a very good game with a fun and engaging balance of roguelike action and life sim elements.
Now you may be wondering how this combination works. Cult of the Lamb is a two-part game. There’s a Rogue-like aspect that sees you enter dangerous territory and face unspeakable horrors, all to defeat false gods that imprison the ancient entities that give you power and power. This part is like The Binding of Isaac and other similar dungeon-crawling roguelikes, in that you have to eliminate threats, get new gear, and avoid damage while not dropping in the heat of battle. The gameplay here is also crucial, as it ties directly into the other main part: the life sim area. This basically asks the lambs to lead and grow a cult in the name of the ancient gods that protects and empowers them, so you need to recruit new cult members from your roguelike adventure and bring back resources, gold, food, etc, all of which It is so that you can continue to expand the size and influence of your cult in order to be able to better stand against the false prophet once intended to sacrifice you.
The two areas work well together because by bringing back new members and resources, you can build something new in your cult or improve facilities to better serve your subject. Also, by doing this, you’ll be able to use the faith and devotion your followers generate to gain new upgrades, both for the lamb to use when it comes to adventures, and for the cult itself to further improve it. Interestingly enough, you can get to the point where the analogy part of life is almost self-sufficient, because you can have followers run a farm, clean themselves, and produce resources, all without your instructions. You still need to motivate them with daily sermons and rituals to make sure their beliefs aren’t misplaced or you’ll have to deal with rebellion among your cult members, likewise the subjects won’t be able to feed themselves, so you’ll be Need to come back to cook to make sure hunger doesn’t collide. But, assuming those duties and chores are down, you can get to a point where you can focus your energy on simply taking risks and completing the original mission, killing the false prophets and freeing your patron saints from their grasp come out.
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It should be noted that while this may not seem like a balance, it goes both ways. At the start of the game, your cult will need more attention, as followers will lack the facilities to clean themselves, recover from disease, crops, etc. This usually means that life analogy aspects take up more of your time at the start of the game.
While I will say that days in The Worship of the Lamb feel short and followers are usually ready to go to bed when you’re done with your daily chores, chores are usually fun. Some are presented as mini-games and require you to press the button correctly to complete the quest, while others like fishing are more of a skill-based quest where you have to keep the hook symbol in the move bar by tapping the button. The point is, while it’s only part of what Cult of the Lamb has to offer, the life sim elements are so well presented and so ingrained into the wider gameplay that you can get lost in completing them.
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However, the combat and action gameplay presented is also very well done if you decide to venture into this bad world. The controls are simple and easy to use, however, with the wide variety of enemies and often a large number of projectiles and threats on-screen at the same time, you’ll need to maintain a lot of focus if you plan to survive. I would say that the random nature of Rogue-like does cause some problems here and there again – as in almost all Rogue-like games – mostly because you’re probably just starting from the first minute because of poor starting weapons Just be behind, or draw bad tarot cards on the run (these are essentially perks that make lambs more effective, e.g. by giving attack poison damage, or by giving a percent chance to ignore any damage received). It goes both ways of course, but, with any luck, you can get all the gear and items that best suit your playstyle, but more often you just have to adapt to what you get.
All in all, this is a truly fantastic game. It’s cute and scary, easy to understand and play, yet challenging, and strikes a good balance between roguelike thrills and calm life simulations. It’s also designed in such a way that you’ll want to go back to it and continue to expand your adoration and experience the unknown by venturing into the deep. While Cult of the Lamb may occasionally ask you to do something a little nasty, like killing an elder just because your cult members don’t like them, there’s no denying that overall it’s a lovely , silly, charming, and very good game.